With two dissents, the U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday that, for security reasons, the public will no longer be able enter the court through the majestic doors at the top of the steps beneath the inscription "Equal Justice Under Law."

Instead, people will be directed to a new ground floor entrance.

The announcement was no surprise — as the change was part of a renovation project-but the dissenting statement by Justice Stephen Breyer and "joined" by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was unexpected.

Writing as if it were a formal dissent to a ruling, they said they recognized the "reasons for the change" but thought them unjustified.

"To many members of the public," Breyer wrote,"this Court’s main entrance and front steps are not only a means to, but also a metaphor for, access to the Court itself. This is why, even though visitors will remain able to leave via the front entrance, I find dispiriting the Court’s decision to refuse to permit the public to enter.

"I certainly recognize the concerns identified in the two security studies that led to this recent decision" Breyer wrote. "....But potential security threats will exist regardless of which entrance we use. And, in making this decision, it is important not to undervalue the symbolic and historic importance of allowing visitors to enter the Court after walking up" the "famed front steps."

"To my knowledge, and I have spoken to numerous jurists and architects worldwide, no other Supreme Court in the world — including those, such as Israel’s, that face security concerns equal to or greater than ours — has closed its main entrance to the public. And the main entrances to numerous other prominent public buildings in America remain open," wrote Breyer.

"I thus remain hopeful that, sometime in the future, technological advances, a Congressional appropriation, or the dissipation of the current security risks will enable us to restore the Supreme Court’s main entrance as a symbol of dignified openness and meaningful access to equal justice under law.

Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg, in the announcement, said that while people will still be able to exit through the main entrance, they will be entering through a new ground floor door "designed in light of findings and recommendations from two independent security studies conducted in 2001 and 2009. The entrance provides a secure, reinforced area to screen for weapons, explosives, and chemical and biological hazards," her statement said.